May 2022 broke heat records all across Texas, but when the calendar turned to June, our weather took on a mind of its own.
Our first heat wave of the year settled in with a staggering number of 100-degree days in Central and South Texas.
Austin-Mabry recorded 20 triple-digit days and the Austin-Airport recorded 15, which tied the June record from 2008. San Antonio tallied 17 days, beating the old record of 12 days from 2009, and Del Rio also set a record of 24 triple-digit days in June.
June 2022 was also a very dry month, with all locations showing a deficit and our drought expanding to the exceptional category. Right now, 20.2 million people in Texas are in a drought, which is 87%. Compare that to last year when 87% of the state was *NOT* in a drought.
The drought conditions have gotten so bad in Central Texas that the Lower Colorado River Authority will cut off water release to the agricultural customers down stream.
Why is the drought so bad? La Niña conditions are ongoing, which results in warmer and drier weather for Texas.
The dry and hot weather looks to continue through July, but I'm still hopeful for a tropical system to bring us a season's worth of rain in just a few days. The saying "When it rains, its pours," perfectly describes Texas weather.
